Brad Battin

"Cost of living is not something that is just a slogan when you use it on a DL card to send out to your community, it is the reality of many people living in my electorate," Battin told the Legislative Assembly.

In the same speech he cited 13 interest rate rises over 15-16 months and rising energy costs as pressures on his constituents, and called for government spending restraint to reduce inflationary pressure.

As Liberal leader he pledged to cut business taxes specifically to relieve cost-of-living pressure, arguing higher business taxes are passed on to consumers in the price of goods.

Speaking on the Bail Amendment (Indictable Offences Whilst on Bail) Bill 2024, Battin argued the government's changes would make it easier for family violence reoffenders to obtain bail and warned "if you keep making it easier for people to get bail, the consequence is that our community is less safe."

In that same speech he cited Victoria Police staffing data: "3 per cent less police available today than... 12 months ago" and "5 per cent less... than two years ago," with roughly 1,000 funded vacancies statewide.

As Opposition Leader, Battin announced on 13 September 2025 a pledge to legislate "Jack's Law" — handheld wanding powers letting police scan for weapons without a warrant in public places — within a stated $100 million crime-reduction plan, saying "we have seen too many victims now, including recent murders."

On youth justice (7 February 2025) Battin rejected a purely punitive approach — "no kid is in jail because they're not committing crime, that's my vision" — favouring education, training and health programs in detention.

He has also previously supported raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14, with exceptions for violent offenders.

In a 4 May 2023 Hansard adjournment on Berwick electorate policing, Battin cited rising car theft and break-ins, resident complaints about police call-out times, and called for the minister to commit to a completion date for Clyde North Police Station and to formal police response-time standards akin to fire/ambulance.

As a backbencher in 2026 he continued to press the issue, telling constituents: "I spoke in Parliament today on the lack of action by Labor on crime and their failure to deliver Clyde North Police Station."

Battin has argued high-rise development alone won't solve the housing crisis: "the evidence is in, not everyone wants to live in a high-rise," and that many Victorians would prefer outer-suburban or regional options such as Geelong if properly supported with infrastructure.

He criticised the state government's housing strategy as "dictating where you need to live rather than asking people where they need to live and then putting in place a longer-term plan," and called for unlocking brownfield, greenfield and infill sites including Fishermans Bend, E-Gate and Arden-Macaulay.

Reacting to the May 2025 state budget, Battin said: "Victoria's debt is now set to blow out to $194 billion by 2028-29 – knocking on the door of $200 billion," equating to "$28.9 million in interest every single day... or $10 billion every year."

He characterised the 2025 budget as "built on lies, fantasy forecasts and spiralling debt," saying Labor had "cooked the books" despite a $3.7 billion GST windfall.

Reacting to the 2026-27 budget as a backbench MP, he said net debt was forecast to hit "$199.3 billion by 2029 and rising," claiming Victorians would carry more debt than NSW and more than SA, Tasmania, WA and Queensland combined.

As Liberal leader, Battin pledged to scrap the Suburban Rail Loop, saying "if we don't want to be stuck with a noose of something... we can't deliver," proposing targeted rail electrification and dedicated bus lanes instead.

On his own electorate's road network, Battin has long advocated for duplication/extension of Thompsons Road (from Berwick-Cranbourne Road in Clyde to Kooweerup Road in Pakenham) and highlighted the Clyde Road corridor as "the most dangerous and congested north-south connection in Casey."

In May 2026 he criticised the state budget for delivering "no Clyde rail, no duplication of Thompsons Road, and deteriorating local roads" in his electorate, calling for a Liberal government to give Casey and Cardinia a "fresh start."

As opposition leader he criticised the Allan government's approach to growth-area infrastructure sequencing generally: "this is typical of the Allan Labor government, where they want to deliver infrastructure years after a move into these communities."

In an 18 May 2023 Hansard adjournment for Berwick College, Battin detailed specific facility failures — "desks that are damaged, graffitied and full of chewing gum," faulty projectors/HDMI ports, non-working power points, and broken toilets ("seats and doors have fallen off").

He also cited broken air conditioners and chairs and "portables... visibly crumbling" at the roughly 1,800-student school, requesting the Education Minister visit and fund upgrades.

He has separately raised an adjournment matter asking the Education Minister to meet with Berwick College students directly about needed upgrades, and visited the school's CoRE program, which builds student connections with police, emergency services and community agencies.

Battin has argued for a mix of brownfield, greenfield and infill development across Melbourne rather than concentrating growth in high-rise: "whether that is brownfield, greenfield or infield, all the way through this city," saying he wants "Melbourne in 2050 to be a city where people can afford to live."

He has criticised the state government for approving new outer-suburban housing estates without matching infrastructure delivery, arguing growth-area communities are left waiting years for services after residents move in.

As Liberal leader, Battin's first major policy announcement was a pledge to abolish the state-owned State Electricity Commission (SEC), criticising it as ineffective and a political vehicle rather than genuine energy reform.

After the federal Liberal Party dropped its net-zero commitment, then-leader Battin said Victoria's Liberals had not discussed following suit and stated he was "comfortable" retaining the state's target of net zero emissions by 2045, saying "we need affordable and reliable energy, but we must continue to work on keeping the emissions down here in Victoria."

On 14 October 2025, as Opposition Leader, Battin committed the Liberal-Nationals Coalition to repealing Victoria's Statewide Treaty within the first 100 days of government, saying "there's a big difference from running an advisory group, to having an elected group come into the Parliament and operate effectively as another level of government."

In place of Treaty, the Coalition under Battin proposed a new government department, "First Nations Victoria," reporting directly to Parliament, overseeing Closing the Gap targets and focused on service delivery and regional outcomes for Aboriginal Victorians.